American Indian style jewellery copies - buyer beware!

Genuine Navajo made Turquoise rings

Something I predicted a while back has sadly come to pass.

I was doing some work advising the Lakota people, part of the Sioux nation, on the importance of protecting their craft work with a recognised trademarking system.

The reason was two fold, so that purchasers could be sure of buying an item genuinely made by someone from one of the tribes and to protect their work, to hopefully prevent mass produced Far Eastern copies being sold as 'genuine' when they were not.

Calvin Begay 'Starry Night' ring

I recently came across some examples of American Indian jewellery which were in the style of Navajo artist Calvin Begay, famous for his Starry Night pieces, amongst other works.

Smaller, 'Starry Night ' ring

His Starry Night pieces pictured here, are exquisitely made micro inlay pieces which are highly valued and prized amongst collectors and followers of his work.

Below are three Far Eastern made examples 'in the style of' which came from the Philippines. They are a third of the price and not as exquisitely crafted.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, there is a risk that these maybe passed off as 'genuine' American Indian, somewhere down the line. So is it easy to spot the copies?

Examples of micro inlay Far Eastern made jewellery

in the 'American Indian' style of 'Starry night' pieces

Whilst these examples are in the main nicely made, they are not made by American Indian people with heritage going back hundreds of years.

How can you spot modern copies? Not always that easily.

Horse ring in the Zuni style, made in the Philippines

Nicely made with a 'handmade' feel.

Quite a lot of the genuine ring base units used, are often made from casts, that said, on some individual parts, you will see variances in geometry, say on a Thunderbird, the feathers may not all be exactly perfectly patterned, so you can see a 'handmade' situation. As you will observe on this great ring below.

Genuine Zuni/Navajo Katsina Extra Terrestrial detail on a Thunderbird ring

However, being 'too perfect' may be the giveaway on many reproductions.

Someone like Calvin Begay makes their own ring settings, to suit the inlay work or materials they have decided to use.

The danger to artists like Calvin, is outright copying of existing pieces.

That is where someone takes a genuine piece, disassembles it and outrightly reproduces it as a nuts and bolts copy.

Early style of a genuine Thunderbird ring

Richard Hoskie & Ella Cowboy genuine

Thunderbird ring from my own collection

What we have to guard against is that items being listed with terms that suggest they are made by American Indian artists. It will have to be that the items are referred to as 'Zuni style and design' rather than 'Zuni' which tends to suggest authenticity.

Genuine Zuni made cuff bracelet

As pieces of artwork the reproductions if we can call them that are in the main, nicely made and attractive.

I do personally prefer to buy something that is genuinely made by an American Indian with heritage going back centuries if possible. This also helps to support their art and career in this work.

The downside of reproductions is that they will be seen as a 'price level' object. And this compounds the problem of authenticity, whilst some Indian makers stamp their own trademarks on the rings, many are plain and rely on resalers to say who made the item.

This all goes to prove, if something is good, someone will; copy it!